Product description

From major seminal works like the Mishnah or the Palestinian and Babylonian Talmuds, to Biblical commentaries, translations of Biblical books into Aramaic or relatively little-known mystical, liturgical or apocalyptic writings, here is a complete guide to the rich tradition of Jewish literature in the second to seventh centuries of the Common Era. Each work is described in a succinct and clearly structured entry which covers its contents, dating, language and accessibility (or otherwise) in print or online. The aim throughout is to cover all of this literature and to answer the following questions. What Jewish literature, written either in Hebrew or Aramaic, has survived? What different genres of such literature are there? What printed texts, or translations into any modern language, or commentaries (either in Hebrew or a European language) are there? And, for those who want to enquire further, what are the manuscripts on which modern editions are based? This handbook will be of value to scholars and students of Jewish Studies and historians of Late Antiquity, as well as scholars in neighbouring disciplines, such as Near Eastern history or Theology.

Author information

Yehudah Cohn: Received his D. Phil. in Oriental Studies from the University of Oxford (Wolfson College) in 2007, where he was supervised by Professor Martin Goodman. A revised version of his doctoral dissertation was published in 2008 by Brown Judaic Studies, under the title Tangled Up in Text: Tefillin and the Ancient World. Dr. Cohn was born and raised in London, and had earlier graduated from London Business School. He began his studies in Oxford after a business career trading commodities in New York.

Review quote

the book can be recommended to first-year students and ancient historians as a first step towards learning Hebrew, studying the texts themselves, and engaging in a more serious study of ancient Jewish history and literature. Catherine Hezser, Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies A small masterpiece of breadth, concision and clarity; it is one of those select books which every library should have, and which a great many individual readers will want to buy for themselves. William Horbury, Journal of Jewish Studies